The annual South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas is a unique opportunity to capture notable individuals at scale, since it lasts 9 days and spans film, music and technology. Speakers and performers include a diverse range of notable individuals from entertainment, technology, academia and civil society — many with Wikipedia pages.

Supported by private donors and a $5,000 rapid grant from the Wikimedia Foundation, we assembled a team of experienced Wikimedia volunteers from the United States community and seasoned photographers to March 8-16, 2024 with the help of infrastructure of Goodside, a group of friends who organize affordable accommodation at film festivals and similar events.

The effort was two-fold: photographers obtained press credentials to cover the sprawling event over the course of more than a week, while we also created a dedicated WikiPortraits Studio space where film crews, conference speakers and local individuals could make appointments for photos sessions.

In all, more than 800 photos of more than 300 individuals were captured for Wikimedia Commons. The photographic project was the catalyst for the creation or enhancement of Wikidata items and Wikipedia articles.

• Speakers: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Speakers_at_SXSW_2024
• Portraits: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:WikiPortraits_Studio_at_SXSW_2024
• Film Awards: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Film_awards_at_SXSW_2024